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SoMnFan -> RE: Players and prospects III (5/26/2015 10:37:35 AM)
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Laws latest INSIDER
It's that time again … time to check in on the top MLB prospects.
We've seen a number of promotions from my top 50 prospects list on March 31 to the majors, including Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, Noah Syndergaard and Joc Pederson, resulting in a number of open spots for this top 25 update.
Any player currently in the majors is ineligible for this list, as are any players in the minors who've exhausted their rookie status (such as Javier Baez). As with all of my prospect rankings, I consider scouting reports (my own as well as those of scouts and executives) along with performance, and favor players with higher upsides.
lastname1. Carlos Correa, SS
Houston Astros
Current level: Triple-A (Fresno)
Correa won't turn 21 until late September -- by which point he'll be the Astros' starting shortstop -- and already has dominated every minor league level he has played in, including Double-A to start this year, and should remain at shortstop at least for the start of his major league career. He has MVP upside, with one of the best pure hit tools in the minors.
lastname2. Corey Seager, SS
Los Angeles Dodgers
Current level: Triple-A (Oklahoma City)
I'm still in the camp that says he's moving to third base -- he's far too big for short and doesn't have the footwork -- but he projects as an All-Star at the hot corner with a the trio of batting average, power and defense.
lastname3. Byron Buxton, OF
Minnesota Twins
Current level: Double-A (Chattanooga)
He's still an outstanding prospect with a huge ceiling, but injuries have cost him so much development time over the past two years that it seems to have slowed his march to the big leagues, especially in terms of plate discipline and on-base skills.
lastname4. J.P. Crawford, SS
Philadelphia Phillies
Current level: High Class A (Clearwater)
Crawford missed all of April because of a strained oblique muscle, but hit .375/.474/.422 with more walks than strikeouts in his first 17 games back from the DL for Clearwater. He's an elite defender with tremendous bat-to-ball skill who profiles as a true leadoff type with his ability to hit for average, get on base and run a little.
lastname5. Francisco Lindor, SS
Cleveland Indians
Current level: Triple-A (Columbus)
Lindor has had a very slow start at Triple-A, but at 21, he's still young for the level, and he has maintained his strong contact rates. He might need to get stronger to get his BABIP up to normal levels, but the plus defense and strong eye are ready for the majors right now.
lastname6. Lucas Giolito, RHP
Washington Nationals
Current level: High Class A (Potomac)
The Nats held back Giolito and his Potomac rotation mate Reynaldo Lopez in extended spring training for a month to keep their innings from piling up too fast -- perhaps with an eye toward some major league work in September or October -- after which both pitchers have looked as good as ever in high-A. Giolito is still working in the mid-90s with a plus curveball and improving changeup, striking out more than a batter an inning in each of his first three starts.
lastname7. Julio Urias, LHP
Los Angeles Dodgers
Current level: Double-A (Tulsa)
Still just 18 years old and already in Double-A, Urias has cut his walk rate from 3.8 walks per nine innings (at high Class A) in 2014 to just 2.2 BB/9 in his first seven starts at Double-A. He has the three pitches to succeed in the majors right now, but his command might not be there yet. That said, this year's control improvement is a positive sign for his development, especially because he's the age of many high school seniors in this year's draft class.
lastname8. Joey Gallo, 3B
Texas Rangers
Current level: Double-A (Frisco)
Gallo missed about three weeks following surgery on his ankle at the end of spring training, but his grade-80 power has been unaffected; he's tied for fourth in the Texas League in homers despite the missed time. He's making more contact and doing more when he does make contact, along with an improved walk rate -- although I can't imagine anyone's dying to pitch to him at this point. I don't think he's ready to come up in 2015, but it's fair to pencil him in for the bulk of the time at third base for Texas next year.
lastname9. Tyler Glasnow, RHP
Pittsburgh Pirates
Current level: Double-A (Altoona)
He has ace stuff and size without the command yet, although he appeared to be improving in the latter department before suffering a mild ankle injury on May 6. He proceeded to miss a start, come back on May 17 and have his worst start of the season, and now has been placed on the DL due to the sprained ankle.
lastname10. Miguel Sano, 3B
Minnesota Twins
Current level: Double-A (Chattanooga)
This list has a lot of bashers on it, big-power bats without positional questions, with Sano, who missed all of 2014 with Tommy John surgery, being the echt article when it comes to guys who hit homers and don't love to play defense. He seems to have shaken off the rust at the plate, hitting .311/.381/.589 in May. He'll probably earn a promotion to Triple-A in the next month or so.
25. Jose Berrios, RHP
Minnesota Twins
Current level: Double-A (Chattanooga)
I still have concerns about Berrios' flat fastball making him more prone to hard contact and home runs, but his command and his secondary pitches are both clearly good enough for him to pitch in the big leagues as a starter, and if he can keep the ball in the park, he has the potential to be a solid No. 2 starter.
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